Severe maternal morbidity in pregnant patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection

Although the increased risk for severe illness and adverse pregnancy outcomes associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy is well described, the association of infection with severe maternal morbidity has not been well characterized.

This study aimed to evaluate the risk for severe maternal morbidity associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy.

This was a multicenter retrospective cohort study of all pregnant patients who had a SARS-CoV-2 test done and who delivered in a New York health system between March 1, 2020 and March 1, 2021. Patients with missing test results were excluded. The primary outcome of severe maternal morbidity, derived from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine example list of diagnoses and complications, was compared between the following 2 groups: patients who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 during pregnancy and patients who tested negative. Secondary outcomes included subgroups of severe maternal morbidity. Multivariable logistic regression was used to adjust for potential confounders such as maternal demographics, neighborhood socioeconomic status, hospital location, and pregnancy-related complications. A subanalysis was performed to determine if the risk for severe obstetrical hemorrhage and hypertension-associated or neurologic morbidity differed based on the timing of SARS-CoV-2 infection between those who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 at their delivery hospitalization (ie, active infection) and those who tested positive during pregnancy but negative at their delivery hospitalization (ie, resolved infection).

Of the 22,483 patients included, 1653 (7.4%) tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection. Patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection were more commonly Black, multiracial, Hispanic, non-English speaking, used Medicaid insurance, were multiparous, and from neighborhoods with a lower socioeconomic status. Patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection were at an increased risk for severe maternal morbidity when compared with those without infection (9.3 vs 6.5%; adjusted odds ratio, 1.52; 95% confidence interval, 1.21-1.88). Patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection were also at an increased risk for severe obstetrical hemorrhage (1.1% vs 0.5%; adjusted odds ratio, 1.78; 95% confidence interval, 1.04-2.88), pulmonary morbidity (2.0% vs 0.5%; adjusted odds ratio, 3.90; 95% confidence interval, 2.52-5.89), and intensive care unit admission (1.8% vs 0.5%; adjusted odds ratio, 3.29; 95% confidence interval, 2.09-5.04) when compared with those without infection. The risk for hypertension-associated or neurologic morbidity was similar between the 2 groups. The timing of SARS-CoV-2 infection (whether active or resolved at time of delivery) was not associated with the risk for severe obstetrical hemorrhage or hypertension-associated or neurologic morbidity when compared with those without infection.

SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy was associated with an increased risk for severe maternal morbidity, severe obstetrical hemorrhage, pulmonary morbidity, and intensive care unit admission. These data highlight the need for obstetrical unit preparedness in caring for patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection, continued public health efforts aimed at minimizing the risk for infection, and support in including this select population in investigational therapy and vaccine trials.